"Nearly 40 percent of the already accepted absentee ballots came from DFL bastions and only 28 percent have come from GOP areas, according to a Star Tribune analysis of early ballots accepted by election officials as of Wednesday. Slightly more voters live in those GOP areas than in the DFL ones," we wrote.

For a deeper look at the absentee ballot tranmitted and returned numbers, check out the charts below, which break down the numbers as of Wednesday morning from the state's 87 counties, the state's 134 Minnesota House Districts and the U.S. House Districts.

BY COUNTY

The most populous counties have returned the most ballots by sheer numbers. Hennepin, Ramsey, Anoka, Dakota, Washington and St. Louis are in the top five spots. Hennepin also has several heated legislative primaries (see chart below) that appear to have increased absentee ballot numbers.

BY MINNESOTA HOUSE DISTRICT

By House District, which have equal population, one district stands out in terms of absentee ballot numbers. House District 60B, in the heart of Minneapolis, features a heated Democratic race between DFL Rep. Phyllis Kahn and DFL school board member Mohamud Noor. That district also features a lower profile primary race among Republicans.

BY U.S. HOUSE DISTRICT

Like Minnesota House Districts, Congressional Districts all have the same population. But the numbers of absentee ballots requested and accepted from the districts show significant differences.